Message from the President

Hello Chamber Members! It's a new year and this morning I was elected your new president for 2010. I would like to introduce myself I am Bill Kulenburg and my wife and I own Lynwood Park, a B&B, Events Center and Trout Pond in Bailey. I am pleased to serve as your Chamber President and I look forward to working with the other officers: Jerry Humphrey - Vice President, Linda Henley - Secretary and Michelle Abbott - Treasurer along with the other directors. I would like to thank the past board members for their work. Last year was a tough one; many businesses cut back or closed their doors. This year could also be a tough one. However, this year's forecast anticipates that small businesses will lead the recovery.

I plan to focus on the reason for a Chamber of Commerce; supporting businesses. I have request the board members to keep that in mind as we make decisions and I also challenge the chamber members to address this issue to make us all successful.
We will start off the year with a Mixer on Sunday Jan. 17 between 1 and 5pm, at Sweet Fanny Adams. There will be a soup and salad bar available for $5.00 a person, a cash bar and the standard menu will be available. There will be a drawing for 3 months advertising on our new Chamber web site. There will be a demo on how the new web site works, a silent auction, a chance to turn in your membership renewals, and time to share your business info with your neighbors.

Again I look forward to working for you and with you. Please take time to get involved in building your community.

Sincerely,

Bill Kulenburg
President, Platte Canyon Area Chamber of Commerce

Please join us for a relaxing afternoon of socializing with other local business owners. Bring your cards, fliers, or information about your business and participate as we begin setting our Chamber back on the track for commerce. We hope to get communications going on what great businesses are available in the Platte Canyon Corridor. (This is a great opportunity for folks who aren't able to make our meetings.) There will be a $5.00 per person soup and salad bar and a cash drink bar, or you may order a meal from Fanny's regular menu of other delicious options.

It's true! After months of hard work and the cooperative efforts of the Park County Community Development & Tourism Department, the Park County Historical Society, and, of course, Destination: Bailey! the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) awarded a grant of nearly $150,000 to develop the recreational facilities at McGraw Park. Those who contributed many long hours to preparing the grant application were confident they had done their best and would certainly win the grant…..but, they kept their fingers crossed just the same. As you might imagine, it took much more than "luck" to win the award! Congratulations to all who helped in this effort. And, most importantly, congratulations to the Bailey community for it is you who will reap the benefits.

Now that the grant has been awarded there are only a few contractual papers that need to be negotiated and signed before the money is available. Once the money is available, early next year, the "real work" can begin under the able management of the Park County Historical Society. Destination: Bailey! will continue to help in any way they can but, the task is left to others to bring to fruition.

So, what is the next project for Destination: Bailey! to tackle? That was the main topic of discussion at a recent planning meeting. There was certainly no shortage of ideas and many projects quickly rose to the top of the priority list. If you would like to help, there is always a seat at the table for good ideas and a willingness to help Bailey achieve its goal…a destination place where good friends meet.

Stay tuned folks…..Destination: Bailey! will waste little time celebrating. They have work to do and a passion to get it done.

(Details on the GOCO grant can be found on the Destination: Bailey! website www.destinationbailey.com)